Alberta CEOs in Ottawa to Discuss Energy, Climate, and Economy

In an effort to raise Alberta’s profile and encourage “collaboration” on energy, climate, and the economy, more than 50 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders are in Ottawa this week.

A group of economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, and policy organizations will include representatives from some of the biggest companies in Alberta.

According to the event’s organizers, this is the largest Alberta business delegation ever sent to Ottawa. A number of cabinet ministers are scheduled to meet with the delegation, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the group at a reception in the evening. The group calls itself the “One Alberta, One Canada” delegation.

“I don’t know the last time I ever recall this big a group of executives and companies coming to Ottawa,” said Cenovus Energy CEO Alex Pourbaix on Tuesday in Ottawa.

“We’re first trying to educate people out here about the diversity of businesses and opportunity in Alberta – and on top of that, you know, there are a lot of issues at play right now.”

Relations between the UCP government in Alberta and the Liberals have been declining, leading to the business leaders’ visit to Ottawa.

In response to federal clean electricity regulations, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has threatened to invoke the province’s Sovereignty Act. In addition, she recently caused some controversy by discussing a plan for the province to leave the Canada Pension Plan.

This week, ads funded by the Alberta government cautioned Ottawa residents that the federal government’s plan to reduce emissions would increase their electricity rates. These advertisements were just one of many that rolled out across a number of markets.

During his speech to the Alberta delegation on Tuesday, Trudeau said that some politicians “would rather rile up people’s anxieties” than address issues of both economic and environmental sustainability.

“I know that politics and other challenges have us divided, or people pointing out differences,” Trudeau said.

“The fact of the matter is, we don’t build the right future for Canada if Alberta isn’t at the centre of everything we do.”

Rather than “the political issues that could work more to separate us than bring us together,” Pourbaix said Alberta’s industry leaders want a focus on policy.

“Albertans are all in on Canada,” he added.

“We share a lot of the aspirations of the federal government when it comes to decarbonization … but we have to have very, very thoughtful discussions about the pace of that, and the impact on Canadians in terms of what it is going to mean to our cost of living, and what it is going to mean to our quality of life.”